Stop wasting money

Stop wasting money: video games and energy efficiency

By Lori Bongiorno

Posted Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:02am PST

Related topics: Kids, Saving Money, Saving energy at home

More from The Conscious Consumer blog

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Video game consoles consume a "staggeringly high" amount of energy, according to a report the Natural Resources Defense Council is releasing on Wednesday. How much electricity do they use each year? About as much as it takes to power the city of San Diego.

There's plenty of room for improvement. We can cut our nation's electricity bill by more than $1 billion and avoid 7 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, according to the report.

How much can you personally save? Depends on what brand you choose. The Sony Playstation 3 and Microsofts Xbox 360 use as much as nine times more energy than the Nintendo Wii.

Habits play a crucial role as well. The systems use nearly the same amount of power when they are turned on and idle as they do when you are actively playing a game or watching a movie. If left on continuously, the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 will consume the same amount of energy as two new refrigerators over the course of a year.

Here's how the three major brands stack up against each other:

Image from NRDC "Lowering the Cost of Play" report

• Sony Playstation 3 is the most power-hungry model. For the 2007 version, you'll spend about $12 a year if you turn the console off when you're not using it, compared to about $134 if you leave it on all the time.
• Microsoft Xbox 360 ranks a close second. If you shut it down when you're not playing a game or watching a movie, it costs about $11 to operate annually. Leaving it on continuously will cost you $103.
• Nintendo Wii uses significantly less energy than the others. It costs about $3 a year if you turn it off after use, compared to about $10 if you don't.

The comprehensive report outlines significant changes industry needs to make. For now, though, here's what consumers can do to make a difference.

• Always turn the system off when you are done playing a game or watching a movie. Don't assume that just because you turn off the TV that your console shuts down too. It doesn't. If you're in the middle of the game, save it so that you can pick up where you left off.
• Enable the automatic power down feature, which will shut down your device if it's left idle for a certain amount of time. This isn't always easy to do and you might need to install software first so click here for step-by-step instructions.
• Limit movie watching on gaming devices. Viewing movies on a stand-alone unit is a lot more efficient. The Playstation 3, for example, uses five times more power than the stand-alone Sony Blu-Ray player to play the same movie.

Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green's users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping.

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KAMIKAZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kamikaze All-In Plays

When watching poker tournaments on television, you’ll invariably see a hand where a player makes a re-raise for all of his chips with an absolutely terrible hand. The commentators will marvel about how great a play it was, but I promise you this: Kamikaze all-in plays with garbage hands will get you eliminated from tournaments far more often than they will work in your favor.

I wouldn’t, however, eliminate the reraise-with-garbage tactic from your repertoire. Instead, think about making this play only when the worst-case outcome wouldn’t result in a catastrophic hit to your stack.

Let’s say the blinds are 400-800 with a 100 ante and you’re sitting on 100,000 in chips. A player from late position raises to 2,400; you suspect that he’s attempting to steal the blinds.

In this example, consider trying to re-steal the pot, even if you have a hand as bad as 2-7. You’ll have to make a large reraise, though, as you definitely don’t want your opponent to call and see the flop. Try raising it 10,000 more. With 12,400 in the pot, you’d be risking just 12.4% of your stack. If your play works, you’d increase your stack by 4.5% and that’s not bad.

Now, if you only had 12,400 chips instead of 100,000, this play would be far too risky for a couple of reasons. First, a player that has not yet acted just might call your bet with a playable hand. Or, the original raiser might have a strong hand himself. It’s also possible that even if the original raiser’s hand wasn’t particularly strong, he’d still call since it wouldn’t cost him much to try to eliminate an opponent.

You see, position is of utmost importance when using this tactic. It works best from the button or the blinds since you significantly reduce the chance of having another player call your bet.

How about when you’re playing on a short stack?

Well, that’s when it’s most imperative that you protect those precious chips. Make sure that when you attempt a last ditch effort to double up, you have a hand that will be competitive in an all-in situation.

Amateur players tend to give up way too early when their chip stacks dwindle, and that’s a big mistake. It’s amazing how quickly things can turn around if you’re patient and wait for decent opportunities to play your remaining chips.

It’s actually fairly simple to play a short stack in a tournament because there are so few poker weapons at your disposal. Yes, some players consider the kamikaze all-in bluff a weapon – but not me. When your tournament life is on the line, it’s a play that should be avoided at all costs. It’s much wiser to pay close attention to the action and look for a good situation to make your move.

Remember, too, that it’s difficult to steal blinds as a short stack. So, when your chip stack dips to less than ten times the big blind and you do decide to play a hand, be aggressive and go all-in rather than make a standard raise of three times the big blind. Ideally, you’ll end up in a situation where you wouldn’t mind if your bet is called because your hand rates to be the best. If everyone folds, well, that’s not a horrible result either. Eventually, though, you’ll need to win a race for all of your chips in order to get back into contention.

Patience is often rewarded when you’re a short stack. Let the quitters make the kamikaze all-in plays while you sit tight looking for that solid opportunity to double up.

WSOP Champion

WSOP Heads-Up: It's Over!

Champion!

The 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event is over and Peter Eastgate has emerged the champion of the November Nine! The 22-year-old Dane has defeated Russia's Ivan Demidov in heads-up play, making a wheel straight on the climactic hand to clinch the tournament and $9,152,416 in prize money.

Here's how the final hand played out:

Demidov and Eastgate returned from a 20-minute break with Eastgate squarely in control, holding more than $120 million of the $136.8 million chips in play.

On the first hand back, Eastgate limped in and Demidov checked his option in the big blind. The flop came K 3 2 and Demidov checked to Eastgate, who bet out $1.25 million. Demidov made the call and the turn was the 4.

Again, Demidov checked and Eastgate fired out $2 million. Demidov raised to $6 million and Eastgate opted to smooth call, though at this point an all-in on Fifth Street was almost a foregone conclusion.

The river was the 7 and sure enough, Demidov shipped. Eastgate instantly called and after a tension-filled pause, Demidov turned up 4 2 for two pair. Eastgate flipped A 5 for the wheel, however, taking the pot and clinching the tournament at 2:35 a.m. on Tuesday, November 11th.

Eastgate becomes the youngest-ever WSOP Main Event champ, supplanting Phil Hellmuth for that honor. He claims the second-largest first prize awarded in WSOP history and earns his first World Series bracelet in the process.

For his runner-up finish, Ivan Demidov takes $5,809,545 to go along with the £344,850 he earned for his third-place finish at the Main Event of this fall's World Series of Poker Europe.

We'll have tons more coverage of this landmark event, including full coverage on PokerListings TV, as well as an interview with the winner and full recap blog before the night is over. Stay tuned!

• Level: 39
• Blinds: 500,000/1,000,000
• Ante: 150,000
• Average Stack: $136,880,000
• Players Left: 1
• Tables Left: 1

Dont Sweat It

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

I like to peruse the Full Contact Poker online forums to read and comment on posts about interesting poker hands and whether they were played properly. I find that many of the contributors consistently suffer from the same problem: they are far too preoccupied with statistically insignificant aspects of a poker hand.

My point is that the minor details of many poker hands are often unimportant and simply not worthy of in-depth analysis. Worrying about these insignificant details won’t have much effect on your bankroll at the end of the year.

You see, the best way to improve your poker game is to focus on the important aspects of the game, like eliminating big mistakes. Instead, I see too many players fretting about whether they are a 56.2% favorite or a 51.8% favorite.

Obsessing about statistics won’t make you a better poker player. In fact, you’ll end up wasting too much valuable time on that stuff when you should be concentrating on crucial issues, like getting a read on your opponents and studying the psychological aspects of the game.

If you want to plug leaks in your game, plug the biggest leaks first. Here’s how to get the job done.

Don’t call a big all-in bet on a whim. Unless you have a powerful hand, or you have some reason to suggest that you know your opponent is bluffing, there’s no reason to make what’s known as a hero call. Any call that jeopardizes a big chunk of your chip stack just because you think your opponent might be on a bluff is flat-out wrong.

Don’t bluff off all of your chips. This is a common mistake made by impatient players. Sure, you might get away with a big bluff once in a while but when you do get caught -- and eventually you will -- it could mean the end.

Protect your hand when you’re confident you’re in the lead. Don’t be greedy and try to milk your opponent for a few more chips when the pot is already large. The turn of a single card can change the lead fast. Toss out a big bet rather than let your opponents beat you for free.

When making a bet or call that represents, say, five percent of your chip stack, you just don’t need to worry about whether it’s the correct play.

For example, I see many players with average skills waste too much mental energy deliberating whether to play K-J from early position. That intellectual power is better spent focusing on the other players at the table.

Here’s the bottom line: A decision to fold, call, or raise with K-J from early position won’t have a significant effect on your long term results. It doesn’t matter if your play was inappropriate. If it was, you committed a marginal error at worst.

Okay, so how should you play K-J from early position? Arguments can be made in favor of all three options.

If the other players at the table are super-aggressive, raising when you call a bet or reraising when you raise, the correct play is to fold. If the other players are excessively tight, the correct play is to raise. And if the table is filled with bad players who won’t fold to a raise and tend to make big mistakes after the flop, the correct play is to call.

Look, in poker as in life, don’t sweat the small stuff. Instead, focus your mental energy on those more important factors that will definitely affect your bottom line.

Aggressive Image

165

The Benefits of an Aggressive Image

Scott Montgomery

November 4th, 2008

One of the most important aspects of poker is establishing an individual image and using it to your advantage. By playing an extremely aggressive game, you’re likely to get paid off when you make a big hand because your opponents assume you have nothing; by consistently playing tight, you’ll get away with bluffs because they assume you’re strong. Either approach is fine, but it’s tremendously important to be aware of your table image so you can profit by playing against it.

Most of the time, players fall between these two extremes and that’s not a formula for success. One of the keys to succeeding in poker is consistently playing a different game than everyone else at the table. Developing a unique style and then varying your game allows you take advantage of opponents who don’t adjust their game.

Personally, I feel the style that works best is all-out aggression. One important reason for this is that it gives me a shot at becoming the chip leader and running away with the tournament. On the other hand, it can also lead to busting out early. For me, this is a risk worth taking; in the long run, I’m more interested in finishing tournaments in 1st place once in a while than just making the money most of the time.

Keep in mind that this type of aggression isn’t just a matter of bluffing to steal pots; my ultimate goal is to get paid off when I have a big hand. By getting involved in a lot of pots with mediocre hands while still keeping my stack close to even, I put myself in a position to profit from opponents who are convinced that I’m completely loose and taking shots with any two cards. I don’t have to be successful every time I bluff, just enough to stay alive and reinforce that wild image so that when I catch that hand, I’ll be sure to win a big pot.

Here’s a perfect illustration from Day Seven of the World Series of Poker Main Event – the day that determined who would reach the final table. I came into the day with about 4.5 million in chips, which was a little below the average. I knew that to make it to the final table and have a real shot at taking it down, I’d need about 15 million in chips. I had no intention of sneaking in short-stacked, so I knew I’d have to triple up over the course of the day.

I stayed pretty even throughout the whole day, except for two massive pots that were directly related. The first pot came early in the day, when I tried to bluff a player off a pot on the flop with nothing but Ace-high. I made this all-in move because I thought I could get the guy to fold. He ended up calling with top pair, but I spiked the Ace on the river to double up through him. I certainly got lucky there, but one other very important thing came out of it: I made the table aware that I wasn’t afraid to make a move for most or all of my stack.

Later in the day I was involved in a hand where I had the nuts – there were four spades on the board and I had the Ace of spades. My opponent had a smaller flush – with the nine of spades, I believe – but my image was so crazy that he called because he put me on another bluff. The earlier hand, when I pushed with the Ace-high, had to have been in the back of his mind. Poker players always want to call. They think: what hands can I possibly beat? This is magnified when you’re at a TV table, because no one wants to be that guy who laid down a good hand and lost a huge pot to a stone-cold bluff, especially when the whole nation is watching. Because of my loose image, I ended up winning an 18 million chip pot.

In a sense, it isn’t easy to play poker this aggressively. You have to be equipped to handle the emotional swings; you have to understand, deep down, that sometimes you’re going to lose huge pots – maybe even your whole stack – on a bluff. When it happens, you can’t collapse. You have to walk into the next tournament willing to make that same play again, because most of the time it will work. You can never be afraid at the table or preoccupied with the past. To play this aggressively, you have to believe that it’s the right way. If you can manage this, you’re going to be successful in the long run.

Play your best poker

A Personal Checklist for Playing Your Best Poker

No matter how many years you’ve played this game, it’s still important to review a personal checklist about your own game every time you sit down to play. That’s how to know that you’re doing everything possible to play your best poker.

Make sure that your checklist contains these three subjects: playing fundamental poker, playing disciplined poker, and playing observational poker. If you are constantly aware of these topics, positive results will follow.

First, play fundamental poker. The tactics and strategies you employ must fit the style and composition of the game that you’re playing.

Sometimes you’ll find that your actions are skewed by the playing style of others at the table, and that’s not good. It is, however, inevitable if you aren’t focusing on your personal fundamentals.

For example, say you’re playing in a tough game with several players bluffing and making sophisticated plays. Obviously, you’ll need to make some adjustments to deal with these players. What often happens, though, is that when you return to facing weaker opponents, the adjustments you’ve made to hang with the better players will actually work against you.

You see, the same fancy plays used to deal with pros can lead to tournament elimination when used against amateur players.

When entering a new table, focus on playing an appropriate and fundamentally strong game. If the table warrants a different approach, adjust your play accordingly. Realize, however, that you’ll need to return to basic ABC poker when that session ends. Trust me; this is a difficult but necessary change to make.

Second, play disciplined poker.

Okay, so you’re playing both fundamental poker and a style that is appropriate for your table. Now, just stick with it.

When circumstances start to turn bad, some players get impatient and make ill-advised moves. For example, one guy might constantly reraise you before the flop. Just because you’re fed up with his antics doesn’t mean you should make a silly play. Don’t panic. Instead, let him continue to push until you find the right situation to trap him for all his chips.

Remember, though, no plan is bulletproof. Still, it’s essential to have a plan and to stick to it, especially in the face of adversity.

Finally, be observant.

Don’t get lazy! Unfortunately, it happens to all of us. Remind yourself to be observant every time you sit down at a table.

Playing fundamental and disciplined poker will only get you so far. If you don’t pay full attention to what’s happening at the table, you’ll lose your edge, costing yourself valuable opportunities to make really good decisions.

It’s easy to play on autopilot. But the simple truth is that you’ll win more often when you know exactly how your opponents play. You can’t afford to miss the physical tells and betting patterns that you’d likely miss if you don’t pay attention.

It’s the power of observation that delivers that extra edge

Observation skills are generally weakest among online players. These players are accustomed to frenetic internet action but bore easily in live tournaments where the pace is much slower. They just don’t pay as much attention as they should.

Having keen observational skills is what separates the best players in the world from everyone else. Make this your top priority.

Watch every action that occurs at a poker table -- in every single hand. Sure, you’ll miss some things. But if you strive for perfection and fall a little short, you’ll still end up with far better results.

Full Tilt Poker Learn From The Pros Lesson 164

164
Betting out to control pot size
Kelly Kim
October 30th, 2008
Intuitively, it would seem that checking and calling is the best way to keep a pot small when you’re uncertain as to whether or not you have the best hand. And often, that’s the case. But believe it or not, betting out can sometimes allow you to get to the showdown cheaper than checking. If your goal is to control the size of the pot, sometimes voluntarily putting chips in will actually keep the pot smaller than passively putting chips in only after your opponent does.
Here’s an example from a hand that I played during this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event that will illustrate this tactic. The blinds were 12,000/24,000 and I opened for 60,000 on the button. Usually when you open for 2 1/2 big blinds like that, especially on the button, it portrays some strength. In this case, I only had Q-J of hearts. The small blind called and the big blind folded.
The flop came A-10-rag; he checked, I bet 65,000 and he called. The turn card was a Queen – making me second pair – and he checked. This was the key moment in the hand. I decided to bet 100,000. I did this for pot control: I didn’t want to call a bet of 150,000 or 200,000 on the river, so I made a smaller bet at that point expecting it to freeze him on the river with most hands.
Let’s say my opponent had A-3. My small bet on the turn made it look like I had a strong hand and was milking him, wanting him to call. There was no way he could bet on the river with an Ace and no kicker; he was just as happy as I was to see a free showdown at that point.
It’s also important to note our stack sizes. I started the hand with about 600,000 in chips and he was deep, with about 1.5 million. By betting 100,000 on the turn, meaning I had committed more than one-third of my stack, he couldn’t try a bluff raise because it was too likely that I was pot-committed. On top of this, I had established a tight image and he had to respect the likelihood that I had a real hand. If he had come over the top, I would have found out that I was beat for a relatively cheap price.
The main goal of the turn bet was to get me to the showdown for 100,000 instead of a larger amount. If I’d checked there, with about 280,000 in the pot, he could very well have had Ace-baby, and my check would have told him that I didn’t have an Ace. He then could have easily bet about 150,000-200,000 on the river to extract value from me. He was looking for an amount that I might have paid off with a Queen or what looked like a bluff. If he had Ace-baby and opted for the 200,000-chip bet, I would have saved 100,000 by betting out on the turn.
Obviously, he could have thrown a wrinkle into the plan by moving all in on the river. Again, this is a situation where you have to incorporate image, and I’d been playing real tight to that point – he was just as scared of me as I was of him.
What if I did have him beat with the Queen? Let’s say he had J-10 or K-10; he would have been priced in to call, and I wanted him to – I needed to pick up the extra 100,000 for my stack. I was willing to take the risk of seeing the river because he only had five or six outs.
Against other players who are capable of seeing the river card and just moving in, I might have tried a different strategy, like playing real small ball and checking the turn while being prepared to pay off 175,000 on the river. But against this guy, I knew for sure he was going to check the river unless he made trips or a straight.
As it turned out, I never saw his hand. He checked the river, I checked behind. He was disgusted when I showed him the Queen, so it was obvious that he had a 10 and I turned him. But he couldn’t have just had a 10. For him to have called with a 10 on the turn he needed to have a straight card there – he either had to be holding J-10 or K-10. And that was exactly the hand I wanted to be up against on the turn.
This situation was very circumstantial because it was based on stack size and image, which are very important in live tournaments. Because of the size of my chip stack, I was playing really tight and couldn’t afford to get out of line. I couldn’t see many flops. I played with this opponent for a while to set up this play, and I knew it was the perfect situation for it. I wanted to get to a showdown because I thought queens could have been the best hand, but didn’t want to pay 200,000 in the end to find out.

When to Reraise in a Tournament

In tournament play, the best players in the world usually won’t reraise a bet before the flop. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t certain situations where it’s appropriate to do just that. It’s okay, for example, to reraise when you’re short-stacked. This is the most obvious situation for a pre-flop reraise. In this case, you’ll likely be reraising for all of your chips when you do. If your opponent folds, you’ll probably increase your stack size significantly, and that’s not a bad result.A reraise in this situation is effective because it limits the field. With any luck, you’ll get to play the hand heads-up; that will increase your odds of tournament survival. Remember, even with a hand as strong as pocket queens, you’d much prefer having just one opponent to beat.You can also reraise when you’re out of position with a strong hand. In no limit Hold’em, position equals power. One sure way to neutralize an opponent’s positional advantage is by reraising before the flop.For example, say a player from late position raises when you hold pocket jacks in the small blind. A reraise here is often better than a call. That’s because pocket jacks are tough to play after the flop and even more difficult to play if you have to act first. By making an appropriately large pre-flop reraise, the hand becomes easier to play since you’ll likely be committed to the pot regardless of the flop. Now, if the flop comes A-K-10, you’d obviously have to consider laying down the jacks. If the flop came Q-6-2, however, you’d want to continue to bet after the flop even though there’s an overcard on the board.It’s also a good idea to reraise against bad players who tend to overplay hands like J-J, A-Q, or even A-K. While you should occasionally slowplay big pairs like pocket aces or kings in deep-stack tournaments, it’s simply unnecessary and not recommended when playing against bad players. Go ahead and reraise your big pocket pairs against these players. A weak player who raises with A-K will probably respond to your reraise by shoving all of his chips in before the flop -- with the worse hand.You can also reraise pre-flop when you have position and want to define an opponent’s hand, particularly if there’s an aggressive player at the table.Say you’re sitting on the button with a not-so-strong K-J and an aggressive player raises. Reraising pre-flop in this situation will help you take control of the hand and will reveal information about the strength of your opponent’s hand.If he folds, he was trying to steal. If he reraises, he’s probably got you dominated. If he calls, assume he’s got a relatively strong hand, something like pocket eights or A-Q. Finally, consider reraising before the flop if you have a solid table image. At some point, your opponents will see that you rarely reraise before the flop. That observation provides the perfect opportunity to bluff by reraising with a trash hand. Even a hand as weak as 7-2 offsuit can be a winner if you make a pre-flop reraise. But you’ve got to have a rock-solid poker image to make this play work.Important: Don’t overuse this play. When you do, be prepared to abort mission if you get any resistance at all. And only try this play if it won’t put at risk a large percentage of your chips.Learn more at PokerVT.

Bankroll Management By Craig Marquis

163

Bankroll Management

Craig Marquis

October 24th, 2008

When I first started playing poker, I had no idea what bankroll management was. I just sat in whichever games were open at the stakes I wanted to play, even if I barely had enough money in my bankroll to cover the buy-in. I worked my way up the ranks by jumping to the next level as soon as I had enough money to pay for a single buy-in. This strategy worked amazingly well for a while, but once I reached stakes where the quality of play was much higher than I was used to, my lack of bankroll management almost proved disastrous.

After playing thousands of hands and building a bankroll large enough to play in almost any game I wanted, I managed to lose almost all of it in the span of a few days. Many professional poker players end up going broke multiple times in their careers, and this is almost always due to a lack of bankroll management. The players who will be around forever are the ones who have learned this lesson.

Although painful, some good did come from these experiences: I learned the importance of bankroll management. Now instead of playing at the highest limits that my bankroll allows, I play in lower stakes games where I still feel like I’m playing for a significant amount of money. Playing as low as $2/$4, $3/$6, and $5/$10 No-Limit, I’m able to play a completely objective game. Because I’m not afraid to lose a $1,000 in a single hand, I can make a lot of moves that I probably wouldn’t make at higher stakes and if I fail the loss hardly affects me. This gives me an enormous advantage over opponents who would be devastated by a $1,000 loss.

There’s an old saying that goes "scared money is dead money," and it’s true. You simply can’t consistently win at poker if you’re playing with money you’re afraid to lose. To combat this, I like to play in games with buy-ins 40 to 50 times smaller than the size of my bankroll. Ten buy-in downswings are common in poker, and it’s comforting to be prepared for such variance.

By observing proper bankroll management and playing at stakes your bankroll can handle, you’ll be able to limit the impact variance has on your game. You’ll be able to endure a ten buy-in downswing without going on tilt and you won’t be crushed when you hit the cashier button and see that your balance has dropped dramatically.

One of the biggest problems with playing at stakes that are too high for your bankroll is not being able to minimize the impact of variance. If you choose to play in a game that could wipe out your entire bankroll by losing four buy-ins, you’re not going to be able to get involved in many situations where you only have a slight edge. Playing with this sort of restraint isn’t good for a poker player.

In an attempt to lower variance, poker players who are under rolled for the game they’re in give up a lot of their EV because they’re playing scared. If you happen to spot one of these players, you can easily exploit their fear.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. I recently played heads up against a player who was obviously playing with scared money. He was one of those players looking for an excuse to fold unless he could show the nuts. Taking advantage of his tendency to fold all but the very best hands, I picked every marginal situation I could find and attacked. Any time I found a spot where I believed he thought I couldn’t possibly be bluffing, I would do just that.

In one such hand he bet $150 on the river when the board showed a pair and three cards to a flush. There was $300 in the pot, and I moved all in for my last $300. It was only $150 more for him to call, but he folded because it was a spot where he must have thought there was no possible way I could be bluffing. Discovering this weakness in his game made for a very profitable session for me, but I wouldn’t have discovered it if I hadn’t been willing to shove all my chips into the middle in marginal situations – I never would have done that if the stakes had been higher or I had a smaller bankroll.

If you are properly bankrolled for whichever game you choose to play, you’ll be able to make the optimal play in any situation that might occur without having to decide if it’s a high-variance move or not. By playing in games where the loss of ten buy-ins in a row would hardly put a dent in your bankroll, you’ll be able to maximize your EV, enjoy less dramatic swings in your bankroll, and celebrate an increase in your win rate, which in poker is a recipe for success.

Online Timing Tells

Tips from the Pros

162

Online Timing Tells

Taylor Caby

October 15th, 2008

When playing poker online, one of the most important pieces of information you can pick up on is the "timing tell." Whenever one of your opponents gets involved in a big hand, you should always pay attention to how long it takes him to make his decision because it will often give you a clue about the strength of his hand.

Here’s an example of how important a timing tell can be. Let’s say you’re playing in a $1/$2 No-Limit Hold ’em cash game, and everyone folds to you on the button. You raise with A-8 suited, and the big blind calls. The flop comes 8-7-2, and your opponent quickly checks. You have top pair with top kicker, which is a very good hand heads up, so you check behind, hoping to get some value out of the hand on the turn and the river.

A 4 falls on the turn, and your opponent checks quickly once again. You bet $10 into the $14 pot. Previously your opponent has acted very quickly, calling and checking within a second or two, but now he takes his time making a decision. This should be like an alarm bell going off in your head, telling you that he has made a big hand.

After letting his time bank nearly run all the way down, your opponent decides to raise, but only for a small amount. This is another indication that he has a big hand and is hoping to get paid off, but it was the timing tell that should have tipped you off first. By taking so long to make a decision on the turn, he deviated from the normal timing of his actions. He was obviously thinking about much more than whether he should call, raise, or fold; he was trying to decide the best way to extract the most money from you. Now you know that your opponent has a big hand, most likely a set or a straight, and you’d be wise to fold.

Now let’s say you’re at the same table, and a player limps in under the gun. Everyone folds, and you have J-4 in the big blind. This isn’t much of a hand, but you should still take your time before checking. By acting like you are possibly considering putting in a raise, you are disguising the strength, or, in this case, the weakness of your hand.

The flop comes 9-6-3, completely missing your hand, but once again you should take your time before checking. If your opponent instantly fires a bet at the pot, that should tell you he was planning on betting no matter what the flop brought because he couldn’t possibly have had enough time to think about the flop and decide what he was going to do. Because of the speed of his bet and the nature of the flop, there’s a good chance your opponent failed to improve his hand, making this a good spot to put in a large raise. Even though you have nothing, there’s a good chance your opponent also has nothing and will fold.

Another timing tell you should be aware of has to do with the auto check/fold option. Players who use this option are giving their opponents information about the type of cards they’re likely to have and the way they play certain hands. By using the auto check/fold option, these players are telling you that they usually play their hands in a straightforward manner. Such players are more likely to play their hands based solely on the strength of the cards dealt to them, rather than taking into account all the other factors involved in a poker hand.

As important as it is to pick up on these timing tells when you’re playing online, it’s equally important to avoid giving off such tells yourself. Oftentimes you will know instantly whether you want to bet or call with a certain hand, but you should always wait a few seconds before acting. By doing this when you don’t have a hand you like, it will allow you in the future to take a little more time to consider the best way to play a hand you do like without tipping off your opponents.

It’s also important to note that some advanced online players will give off reverse timing tells in order to mislead their opponents. Therefore, before giving too much credence to an opponent’s timing tell, you should determine what kind of player he is, an inexperienced player who is genuinely perplexed by the decision he needs to make or a cagey professional trying to set a trap.

A Powerful Tell

Success at poker is ultimately the result of solid fundamentals and the ability to read your opponents’ betting patterns. This is especially true when playing online. But playing live poker is a completely different animal. In this venue, the presence of physical tells can not be overlooked.Picking up a tell -- a hint that a player unknowingly gives that reveals the strength of his hand -- often means the difference between winning and losing a big pot.Most physical tells, however, are notoriously unreliable. What might signify a bluff from one player just might indicate a full house from another. That’s why it’s wrong to generalize physical tells by adhering to profound-sounding statements like, “When a player throws his chips in forcefully, it’s a bluff.” It’s simply not true in all cases.There are, however, some tells that are more reliable than others. One in particular is the habit of glancing at one’s chip stack. It’s powerful because so many players aren’t even aware that they’re doing it. Let me explain.Some players will immediately glance at their chips as soon as the thought of making a bet crosses their mind. Say a player is holdingpocket threes and another three hits on the flop. That player will often take a quick glance at his chip stack as soon as the flop is revealed. It’s like hearing a voice inside your head saying, “Oh, three of a kind. Next step is to bet. Where are my chips?”That’s when you’ll notice the quick glance. Once you find a player who has this habit, it will be the most reliable tell you will ever spot.Now, a player with this tendency might also look at the flop with a blank stare, never once glancing at his chips. That is a tell, too! Since you know that he glances at his chips when he wants to bet, you can infer that when he doesn’t, he has no intention of continuing with the hand. The pot is yours for the taking with a bet.Here’s an example of how picking up on this particular tell can help you avoid being trapped.You make a pre-flop raise with 8c-10c. The player in the big blind calls. The flop comes Jc-7d-3s and your opponent checks to you. With an inside straight draw, you might decide to bluff at the pot. However, you realize that your opponent could be considering a check-raise. Knowing that, the better option is to check, take a free card, and hope to catch a nine to complete your straight. This play would eliminate the worst case scenario where you bet, get check-raised, and then have to fold, potentially costing yourself a huge pot.Here’s where the chip-glancing tell is most valuable.Watch your opponent’s eyes as he sees the flop. If he glanced at his chips before he announced check -- beware! There’s something he likes about that flop. He probably won’t fold to any bet you make. Just check and try to catch a card on the turn.On the other hand, if you are facing a player who habitually glances at his chips when he likes a flop, but doesn’t do it this time -- bet! Chances are he missed the flop. Take the pot right away. Don’t give him a chance to catch a winning card on the turn.The art of reading physical tells isn’t an exact science. But of all the tells you’ll encounter at the poker table, you can pretty much call this one “Old Faithful.”

Continuation Betting

160

Choose the right time for Continuation Betting

Jon 'Pearljammed' Turner

September 17th, 2008

Continuation betting has become so common in No-Limit Hold 'em tournaments that many players no longer give it any respect. They will often call your bet on the flop, whether or not they actually have anything, just to see what you'll do on the turn. Because continuation bets have lost so much value, you should be wary of making this bet if you don't have much of a hand, and, even if you do have a hand, you should occasionally check behind just to mix up your play.

When deciding whether or not you should follow up a preflop raise with a bet on the flop, you should consider a variety of factors, including the texture of the flop, the number of players involved in the hand and the tendencies of those players, but here I want to talk about how your use of the continuation bet needs to change as a tournament progresses.

In the early stages of a tournament, you should be much more willing to make a continuation bet on the flop because you generally won't be risking as high a percentage of your chip stack as you will in later rounds. Losing an extra 80 chips when the blinds are 10/20 and you have 3,000 isn't going to hurt you all that much. You should be especially willing to make this bet after flopping a set or top two pair because in these situations you really want to build a pot.

However, if you flop a medium-strength hand like top pair with an average kicker you need to employ much more caution. Let's say you raise before the flop with J-10 suited, and the flop comes J-7-3. If your opponent checks to you, you should also check. You don't want to build a big pot in this situation because your opponent could easily have K-J or Q-J, just the sort of hands weaker players like to play early on in tournaments.

Checking behind your opponent will also disguise the strength of your hand, allowing you to extract value from it on later streets. If your opponent has a medium pocket pair like 6s or 10s and you check behind on a J-7-3 flop, you're more likely to get a call out of him if you bet the turn and, if a scare card hits the board, you can simply check behind once again.

Another advantage of checking behind your opponent after flopping top pair is that in the future it will allow you to check behind on flops that don't connect with your hand without giving away the fact that you're weak. Doing this will also keep the pot small enough that you won't feel committed to it if your opponent plays back at you on the turn.

If you do make a continuation bet on the flop in this situation and your opponent check-raises you and you call and he bets the turn, you've helped build a large pot when all you have is a medium-strength hand. Calling your opponent down could cost you half your stack, if not more, and the only hand you can really beat is a total bluff.

The way you should play this hand will change after the antes have come into play in the latter stages of the tournament. If you've flopped top pair with J-10, you're up against a single opponent, and you have less than 25 big blinds in your chip stack, you're going to want to follow up your preflop aggression with a bet on the flop for two reasons.

First, you don't want to give a free card to somebody who might be holding a hand like A-Q or K-Q. Second, some players will think you're making a continuation bet with nothing, and if they've got a medium pocket pair they might check-raise you all-in, giving you an excellent chance to double up. Just remember that if you're going to make a continuation bet in this spot, you have to be willing to go all the way with your hand because your bet is going to commit you to the pot.

In general, the further along you get in a tournament the more caution you need to use when making a continuation bet, but even in the early stages you want to be careful because many players will try to bluff you off your hand with a large check-raise. Checking the flop will allow you to avoid this trap and, if you have a medium-strength hand like top pair, often proves to be a more profitable play in the long run.

158

Saving Chips in HORSE

Chip Jett

September 4th, 2008

The $50,000 HORSE tournament at the World Series of Poker is one of the most prestigious events in all of poker, but the structure does not allow room for mistakes. Typically, over 80 percent of the field is still alive halfway through the second day, but none of those players have enough chips to play more than two big hands. Everyone is in danger of going broke. In fact, it’s the same in nearly every HORSE tournament I’ve ever played in, which means it’s crucial that you never waste a single bet.

In no-limit tournaments a few players usually break out from the pack and acquire huge chip leads early on. The blinds and antes only become an issue for them towards the very end of the tournament, but that almost never happens in HORSE tournaments because you’re playing limit poker. The blinds and antes are an issue the entire time so saving chips whenever you can is vital.

In a HORSE tournament it’s particularly important to hold on to your chips in the Stud games because there’s an extra round of betting compared to the flop games, Hold ’em and Omaha. That’s why I think it’s best to play conservatively on Third Street in the Stud games.

For example, let’s say you have A-2 in the hole and a 5 up in Razz. This is one of the best starting hands you can have in Razz so you should definitely open for a raise. But a player showing a 6 re-raises you. For him to reraise you, it’s almost 99 percent certain he has two wheel cards in the hole. He has a very good starting hand, but, of course, your hand is still better.

If this were a cash game, you would want to re-raise him. However, in a HORSE tournament you should just call because you’re only a small favorite at this point in the hand. Not re-raising here is kind of like staying away from coin flip situations in No-Limit Hold ‘em tournaments. You’re avoiding a situation where you’re not a huge favorite. In a HORSE tournament you don’t want to push too hard when you only have a slight advantage.

If you put in three bets on Third Street and get two or more callers, pots odds are going to force you to stay in the hand no matter what you catch on Fourth Street. Playing this way, you might win a big pot, but you might also lose one. You simply can’t afford to play this way in a HORSE tournament because losing one or two such hands can cost you your entire stack.

I’d recommend seeing what falls on Fourth Street before committing any more of your chips because you will have a much better idea where you are at in the hand. If you and your opponent both catch good cards on Fourth Street, you become a much bigger favorite to win the hand than you were on Third Street. Now instead of being just a 52 percent favorite you might be as much as a 65 percent favorite, and you can start raising and re-raising to protect that advantage.

If you catch a bad card on Fourth Street, it will be much easier to muck your cards if you didn’t put in three or four bets on Third Street. For example, if you catch a jack and your opponent catches a 4, you’re going to be happy you didn’t cap the betting on Third Street because now you’re behind in the hand.

Another advantage to just calling a reraise on Third Street with the best hand is deception. If you and your opponent both catch good cards on Fourth Street your opponent is going to think he still has the better hand. You are in effect slowplaying your hand, and it could pay off handsomely because the size of the bets has now doubled.

Because every player in a HORSE tournament is just one or two hands away from going broke, it’s extremely important to save your chips whenever you can. Playing more conservatively on Third Street during the Stud games is a great way to accomplish this.

159

Coin Flips

Ben Roberts

September 10th, 2008

Whether or not you decide to get into a coin flip situation in poker really depends upon what type of game you're playing. I'm far more likely to take on one of these challenges when I'm playing in a cash game than when I'm playing in a tournament, and I'm also more likely to do so when I'm playing in a live game as opposed to online.

If you're playing in a cash game, getting into a 50-50 race can occasionally produce greater results beyond simply winning the hand. If you win a race, you can often expect your opponent to become a worse player almost immediately after the hand is over. This will give you the opportunity to take even more money from him over the course of the next several hours. Therefore, I'm more willing to get into a coin flip situation with players who have less control over their emotions after losing a big hand this way.

Conversely, if my opponent wins the hand, he's not going to get rewarded as much since I'm not going to play any differently after losing a big hand in this manner. Although winning is extremely important to me, I believe people put too high a premium on winning in the short-term, for example, over the course of a session or two. When they fail to win, they become possessed with a sense of shame and depression, but I believe poker is supposed to be a journey of joy and fun.

Beyond my opponent's demeanor, one of the biggest factors in deciding whether or not I'm willing to get into a race is the amount of money I've invested in the hand. If I've already put some money into the pot and I'm sure it's a 50-50 situation, then no matter how much my opponent raises he won't be able to get rid of me. If I folded, I would be literally throwing away the money I already put in there, and I'm not in the habit of doing that.

Here's an example of a coin flip situation after the flop. Let's say you have A-K of clubs, and the flop comes 9-8-2 with two clubs. Because you have two overcards and a flush draw, this is a nice spot to go on the offensive if somebody makes a bet. If your opponent has made top pair with a hand like 10-9, it's about a 50-50 situation, but you have plenty of outs to justify your aggression.

However, if you raise and your opponent comes over the top of you, you have to suspect that he has a set and you can no longer depend on a king or an ace being an out. At this point, all you have is flush draw and it's no longer a coin flip situation. Unless you're both deep-stacked and think your opponent will pay you off if you do hit your flush, you should back off and wait for a better situation. But don't lose your initiative and remember to keep playing aggressively.

Now let's turn it around. The flop is the same, but now you have pocket jacks and your opponent is the one who has two overcards and a flush draw. You bet, and your opponent raises. How you proceed really depends upon what sort of player you're up against.

Because of situations like this one, I prefer live games to online games. I tend to make more accurate decisions in live games. Most of the time I can get a read on my opponent, and I can capitalize on that. If I feel like he only has two overcards because he just called my raise before the flop, I'll call and see what the turn brings. But if I raised before the flop and he reraised me, then I'll throw my jacks away because he could very well have a bigger pair than mine.

My rationale completely changes in a tournament. In the latter stages of a tournament your chips are worth more than they were at the beginning so your first concern should be protecting them, which often means avoiding coin flip situations. After the money bubble bursts, you get financially rewarded whenever a player gets knocked out so quite often the smartest move is to avoid getting into coin flip situations and waiting for a better spot.

Like many aspects of poker, the decision of whether or not to get into a coin flip situation depends on a variety of factors, the most important of which are the type of game you're playing and the demeanor of the opponent you're playing against.

Panthers stun Chargers 26-24 as time expires

SAN DIEGO (AP)—Jake Delhomme came back with a jolt that the San Diego Chargers won’t soon forget.

Delhomme threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dante Rosaraio as time expired to lift the Carolina Panthers to a shocking 26-24 win over the Chargers on Sunday.

It was a heart-stopping capper to a game that swung wildly with a big defensive play by each team in the second half.

After Philip Rivers rallied San Diego with his third TD pass of the game, Delhomme moved the Panthers to the San Diego 14-yard line with 2 seconds left before calling his final timeout.

Delhomme dropped back on fourth down, scrambled and then found Rosario in the back of the end zone to give Carolina a 25-24 lead. Carolina coach John Fox raised his arms and clenched his fists as the offensive players mobbed each other between the goal posts and the stands.

John Kasay, who had four field goals, added the extra point to set the final score.

Delhomme returned after missing all but three games last season with an elbow injury that required reconstructive surgery.

He was 8-of-11 for 68 yards on the final drive.

LETS GO PANTHERS!!! WE JUST SHOWED THE WORLD!!!

This Journey is fun!

Having a lot more fun this time around, mixing in lots of different buy ins and game types.
#39 26TH/45 Lost A Race
#40 14TH/45 Super Card Dead
#41 12TH/45 Blind Vs Blind Gone Wrong
#42 10TH/45 Had to push, Got Unlucky
#43 4TH/9 SUPER SICK BAD BEAT
#44 16TH/45 I got in with 1 live card
#45 17TH/45 I Had To Call
#46 7TH/45 +$12.00
#47 5TH/45 +$44.00

Current Bankroll:$200

This is so much fun!!!

#33 3RD/6
#34 5TH/6
#35 8TH/9 LOST A RACE
#36 8TH/18 UNLUCKY I WAS DOMINATED
#37 9TH/45 UNLUCKY DOMINATED AGAIN!!
#38 2ND/45 +$60.00


Played 2 5 card draw games and got no cash :( But made it deep in 2 45 player games, got unlucky twice and that sums up the day so far for me, be sure to check here daily for updates!
CURRENT BANKROLL:$187

Bankroll Journey Update 8/28/08

Starting Bankroll: $130.00 Current Roll: $268.35 - $68.00 Cashout Bankroll = $200.35
#26 2ND/6 $4.20
#27 18TH/45 2 Live
#28 10TH/45 Lost A Race
#29 14TH/45 UNLUCKY!
#30 18TH/45 SICK FUCKING BEAT!
#31 12TH/45 LOST A RACE
#32 2ND/45 $110.00

Mix And Match

Mixed some other games into my playing, but still having the most success at the 45 player turbos.
Current Bankroll:$214
#1 30th/45 BAD BEAT
#2 19th/45 BEST HAND LOST
#3 2ND/45 +$60.00
#4 3RD/45 +$42.00
#5 25TH/45 LOST A RACE
#6 29TH/45 HORRIBLE BEAT
#7 17TH/45 BEST HAND LOST
#8 3RD/45 +$42.00
#9 26TH/45 LOST A RACE
#10 17TH/45 LOST A RACE
#11 7TH/45 +$12.00
#12 19TH/45 Bad move on my part
#13 34TH/45 BET HAND LOST
#14 26TH/45 BAD BEAT
#15 19TH/45 SUPER CARD DEAD
#16 15TH/45 UNLUCKY
#17 7TH/9 SICK BAD BEAT
#18 23RD/45 2 TERRIBLE BEATS
#19 11TH/18 NASTY BAD BEAT
#20 1ST/6 +$23.40
#21 10TH/18 HORRIBLE SICK BAD BEAT/ LOST A RACE
#22 4TH/6 BLIND VS BLIND
#23 5TH/9 I WAS DOMINATED
#24 2ND/45 +$60.00
#25 433/458 UNLUCKY

$208

Played 12 $6.50 turbo 45 players so far and here are the results:
#1 30th/45
#2 19th/45
#3 2ND/45 +$60.00
#4 3RD/45 +$42.00
#5 25TH/45
#6 29TH/45
#7 17TH/45
#8 3RD/45 +$42.00
#9 26TH/45
#10 17TH/45
#11 7TH/45 +$12.00
#12 19TH/45

$130...To???

Today I start a new quest to turn $130 into something big. I will be playing a mix of sit and gos maybe a few MTT's thrown into the mix as well. Keep check daily for updates.

Tips For Multi Tabling

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008

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Five Tips for Better Multi-Tabling

Online rulers like James "mig.com" Mackey will ask the same question: Why play one table when you can play 10?

By Daniel Skolovy

User rating: ( 9 votes )

Why play one table when you can play 10? That's what I always ask live-poker nits. Multi-tabling is probably the best thing about playing online.

Well, that and you can avoid dealing with the three S's of live poker: slow games, sloppy dealing and stinky degenerates.

But I digress. If you aren't multi-tabling now, you better start learning because if you're not, you're simply throwing money away.

For a more detailed look at multi-tabling, you can read a full article here. However, here are five quick tips to get you pointed in the right direction:

1) Use a four-color deck. The four-color deck is easily the most important option for multi-tabling. Red hearts, black spades, green clubs and blue diamonds. Sounds weird at first, but you'll get used to it quickly.

At first glance you can tell which flush draws got there and which missed. Two-colored decks are for grandpas and live poker. Get with the times.

2) Stick to the simplest themes. Many online poker rooms have several different themes for you to choose from, but you shouldn't try and use all the bells and whistles they have when you're multi-tabling.

Get rid of the distractions. PokerStars' hyper-simple theme is a great example of a nice table setup perfect for multi-tabling.

3) Take notes. Even if you can't pay attention to every single hand going on, make sure you watch the big ones and take detailed notes.

These notes will stay with the player and whenever you run into that player again you can refer to them. Try and make them short and sweet and informative; "Check-raises flop with combo draw" is a lot better than "Jackass sucks out with flush."

4) Figure out a system for organizing your tables. Some people stack the tables; others tile. Find out what works for you so you can quickly refer to whichever table the action is on.

A personal tip if you are multi-tabling tournaments: When I play 12 or more tables I will sort my tournaments by blind level.

Bad_IP: Multi-table master.

Highest blinds go in the top left with the rest of the tables sorted toward the smallest blinds in the bottom right.

5) Sit in the same seat. A lot of poker sites have options where you can always sit in the same seat and the software will just rotate the table around you.

This option is invaluable to a massive multi-tabler. Finding where you are sitting on all tables when you have to make split-second decisions can be a daunting task.

If, however, you are always in the same seat you know exactly where to look when the action is on you.

Unexpected

BANKROLL:$19.86
#57 Tournament #102337753/18TH/CARD DEAD!!!!
#58 Tournament #102338112/10TH/WOW!/HOW COULD I NOT HIT!!!/WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BANKROLL:$6.86
#59 Tournament #102357831/19TH/THE ONLY HAND I GOT THE WHOLE SNG
Ending Bankroll:$0.00

I played a 20 game series of $6.50 45 player turbos a week ago, that is what inspired me to do this, in that series I got 1ST place 2 times. In this journey 1ST 0 times, and 2ND only once.
I got deep a lot but just not deep enough.
I know I was playing outside of bankroll mangement but I took 18 buy ins and stretched it 10 59. I am proud of myself for getting this far, disappointed it is over. Thanks for being there, and thank you for the support, Good luck and see you at the tables!!!

Did the journey end???

#54 Tournament #102321345/34TH/I WAS DOMINATED
#55 Tournament #102321713/20TH/GOT IN WITH THE BEST LOST A RACE
#56 Tournament #102322021/6TH $18.00/ MY KK LOSES TO Q4 OFF/MY STRAIGHT LOSES TO A TIE/MY KK LOSES TO Q9SUITED /IN THE END CARD DEAD...VERY UNLUCKY SIT AND GO I AM SUPRISED I GOT 6TH
BANKROLL:$19.86

Going deep but not deep enough

#49 Tournament #102273802/20TH/BEST HAND LOST
#50 Tournament #102274267/4TH $30.00/CARD DEAD AT FINAL TABLE
#51 Tournament #102286291/32ND/LOST A RACE
#52 Tournament #102285887/17TH/2 LIVE CARDS FAIL
#53 Tournament #102285313/13TH/SUPER CARD DEAD BEST HAND LOSES
BREAK TIME $21 ROLL

Todays Progress

#38 Tournament #102081052/25TH/BUST
#39 Tournament #102084421/45TH/LOST A RACE
#40 Tournament #102081454/5TH $24.00/BUST
#41 Tournament #102087857/40TH/BUST
#42 Tournament #102088335/18TH/BUST
#43 Tournament #102088815/13TH/BUST
$55 Roll. BREAK TIME

Bankroll Journey Update

$70 ROLL. Break Time
#29 Tournament #101886466/12TH/OUTKICKED
#30 Tournament #101889512/39TH/OUTKICKED
#31 Tournament #101886732/BEST HAND LOST/LOST A RACE
BREAK
#32 Tournament #101940273/27TH/BUST
#33 Tournament #101940663/8TH/BEST HAND LOSE CARD DEAD BUBBLE BOY
#34 Tournament #101946131/18TH/THE BEST HAND I SAW ALL GAME
$31.50 ROLL. BREAK TIME
#32 Tournament #101989127/27TH/DOMINATED
#33 Tournament #101988705/6TH $18.00/BUST
#34 Tournament #101997536/17TH/LOST ANOTHER RACE
#35 Tournament #101997896/2ND $60.00/CLOSE
#36 Tournament #102012990/30TH/BUST
#37 Tournament #102012557/8TH/BUBBLE LOST A RACE

Finally made a big cash, but I am still getting deep and not making enough money.$71 in the roll going to sleep now will resume the journey in the morning.

$120 Roll

Starting with $120 playing $6.50 45 player turbos. When I reach $200 I am going to play $12 45 player turbos. If the bankroll hits $65 I will play $6.50 45 player turbos again until $200. Started on 8/10/08 3:00pm EST.
Here is my results so far.
8/10/08
Starting bankroll:$120.00
Tournament ID/ Place/ Cash
#1 Tournament #101341498/11TH/BUST
#2 Tournament #101341266/19TH/BUST
#3 Tournament #101359164/25TH/BUST
#4 Tournament #101358791/7TH $12.00/BUST
$106 Roll
#5 Tournament #101397031/16TH/BUST
#6 Tournament #101396756/15TH/BUST
#7 Tournament #101404320/19TH/BUST
#8 Tournament #101404662/8TH/BUBBLE BOY
$80 Roll Sleep, Resume in the morning.

1ST Day Of August

157

Early Tournament Strategies

Allen Cunningham

July 30th, 2008

Many players' first exposure to poker comes from watching WSOP and WPT tournaments on TV, and I think that's great. It's entertaining and you'll see some interesting plays, but viewers have to understand that they shouldn't model their games based on the action they see on TV.

Why? The answer is simple - what you're seeing is unrealistic and edited for television. Players in these televised tournaments often start with very deep stacks (sometimes 10,000 chips or more) and, most of the time, all you'll see on the broadcast is action from the final table where the blinds are high and play is fast. In contrast, the majority of the low buy-in ($1 to $20) tournaments you'll encounter online usually start with stacks of 1,500 and blinds of 10/20.

Because your approach to the early stages of these tournaments is key to whether you'll make the final table, the question is, what should your strategy be?

I suggest adopting a simple approach, especially if you're not a very experienced tournament player. Try not to play too many hands and aim to see a few cheap flops with small/medium pairs if possible because these can provide some the best chances for you to double or even triple up during the first couple of levels. There are many times when you may be able to put in 5% of your stack or less to see a flop and try and hit your set. You're 7-to-1 to flop a set, but you may be getting 20-to-1 implied odds early on since a flopped set will often be the best hand, and you'll have a good chance to double up against weaker players who may overplay top pair.

If you are expecting a few callers, you might want to limp with these hands pre-flop. You may also just want to flat call with these hands if there are already a couple of people in for a small raise when the action gets to you. But, if the action is folded to you in late position, you definitely want to raise and take down the blinds. If you want to play conservatively, you can safely throw away small pairs in early position. As I said previously, you don't want to commit more than about 5% of your stack pre-flop with small and medium pairs (maybe 6% or 7% max), and when you play from early position there's no guarantee that's going to happen.

Of course you also want to be playing your monsters like AA and KK, and other hands like QQ, JJ, AK and AQ. Remember early on when stacks are deep, you're not going to get a lot of action for all of your chips unless you're up against a pretty strong hand.

There are no concrete rules as to how fast you should try to build your stack in the early going, but the main thing you don't want to do is go broke by playing too loose. In smaller online tourneys you will either be in the money or close to the money without having to win too many pots if you can just play tight and hang around for a couple of hours. If you speculate too much or take too many coin-flips when you don't need to early on, chances are that you'll end up on the rail and miss that opportunity.

Even if you make it to the fourth or fifth level with just a little above starting stack, you'll usually be in good enough shape to take a run at the money. Remember, getting into the money and beyond is what counts - so learn how to start your tournaments the right way and give yourself the best chance to be the last player standing at the end.